The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and should not be construed as constituting prior art.
The production of tobacco-based products (cigarettes) has become a major industry with many consumers routinely purchasing and consuming these products. Tobacco products require an ignition source for the consumer to effectively smoke the tobacco-based contents. Consumers currently use many different methods for lighting these products. Gas lighters, electrical lighters, and matches are all commonly used as methods for igniting the tobacco within these products. The large consumer base for tobacco-based products has necessarily generated a large consumer base for the ignition sources as well.
There are several flaws in current ignition sources. The gas lighter is often made of plastic or metal and must maintain the appropriate amount of fuel to be effective. Gas lighters often do not maintain the appropriate flame when used in windy or rainy conditions. Once the fuel runs out, the lighter has to be either discarded or refilled. The gas lighter also requires significant vital resources to produce and to operate. Further, the use and disposal of the lighter creates significant negative impacts upon the environment.
Using a match as an ignition source for tobacco-based products has many undesirable effects as well. Matches are sensitive to the surrounding environment, and often cannot be used if the matches are wet or used in a windy area. The user is also limited to a set number of matches, and once the last match is used, the user will have no ignition means for lighting the tobacco-based products.
Electronic lighters can be very effective, and reusable, but usually require a bulky battery or frequent recharge to generate enough energy to ignite tobacco. The electronic lighters can also be adversely affected by water. Further, improper disposal of a portable electronic lighter can introduce harmful battery acid into the environment.
The users of tobacco based products are inconvenienced and potentially endangered by relying upon these separate ignition sources. Lighters and matches can be maintained in a relatively small compartment that can be easily lost or misplaced. Further, the misuse of these products is inherently dangerous for the consumer. Misused ignition sources frequently cause accidental fires. The propensity of matches and lighters to be misplaced significantly increases the chances that a minor will obtain and negligently misuse the product possibly resulting in severe harm.
Finally, tobacco-based products can be manufactured with a sensitized tip that allows ignition by striking against an abrasive material. This uniquely couples the ignition source to the tobacco itself. Past designs utilize strike pads on the side of a pack holding the tobacco-based product. Similar to lighting a match, the sensitized tip is dragged down the strike pad to create enough friction to ignite the tip. Lighting the tobacco-based product by striking it against the strike pad creates difficulties because the product can easily be broken when attempting to ignite the tip and the strike pad can lose the abrasive qualities necessary to ignite the tip.
What is needed is an improved design for facilitating the lighting of a tobacco-based product. The present application is intended to improve upon and resolve some of these known deficiencies of the art.